Staying Aboard the Queen Mary

Staying onboard the Queen Mary this past weekend was quite an adventure. I had not been onboard the ocean liner since my elementary school days, and the trip was marked by an ongoing battle between absolute joy and utter horror. Many of the magnificent art deco details have survived, including the heating/cooling vents in our room, closet handles, cabinetry and bathroom hardware in our suite. It's a floating time capsule of art deco decor.

Above are some photos of my favourite area of our room's decor: the bathroom. The corner sink faucet, the push button toilet flush and the multiple choice of bathing waters were all fun details that had us daydreaming of a bygone era of living, while also illustrating how to maximize space in what would now be considered a very slim shaped bathroom.

But in other areas throughout the ship, we could see agonizing neglect of the once grande dame of ocean liners that now rests in the Long Beach Harbor. Trash littered across the floors, vandalized wood, heavy coats of dust in displays, and to be honest, a sense that the current management has little interest in the ship itself beyond motorcycle shows and disco parties. Still, we found the ship a fading beauty whose ghosts we'd welcome for a chat any evening. Long live the Queen!

Comments (2)

the bathroom fixtures are beautiful

posted by LaDonnaNichole on July 11th 2007 at 5:44pm
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It does make me side.

My wife and I married on the Queen Mary, two years ago yesterday! The ship is still glorious, but yes, has been neglected a bit. And something about parts of the ship being gutted and turned into souvenir shops and ice cream parlours along the promenade made me kind of sick.

Thanks for the pictures, it made my morning.

posted by tig66208 on July 12th 2007 at 3:56am
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